Lyn's Log, 26th September 2005
Portugal, Bayona to Lisbon

Cascais, Portugal.
N38º40', W9º23'
2,828 miles.

We picked up a buoy overnight in Bayona and on 12th September made an early start before the wind really came in. It was another very hot day with a clear sky. The wind soon strengthened from the northwest and we had a wonderful sail to Viana Do Castelo, arriving around 8 p.m. Unlike Monday where suddenly at 7 p.m. the wind switched off, this time it blew up to a force 6 or 7 making turning into the harbour and lowering the sails quite a wet and noisy business, while being buzzed by windsurfers! This was a very smart town with some interesting architecture and a pleasure to walk round. We left at lunchtime making for Pavoa as we had been informed that Leixoes marina was closed, but we had such a good sail making good time with the sails goosewinged that we continued on to the big commercial harbour at Leixoes anyway, anchoring with several other yachts just outside the closed marina. It was not an easy entrance with large ships entering and leaving, and no control lights. We didn’t want to radio in case we were told that the marina was closed and to go away, so we just kept out of the way of the big ships. There was a pleasant bonus on raising the anchor in the morning in that it was not covered in large quantities of thick black stinking mud as it had been last time we were there! It took about three hours of motoring under the clear blue sky before the wind blew up and we sailed under the spinnaker until early evening when it suddenly split right across from the top, and then down the edge before we could get it down. It looked like a write-off, but had only cost us £100 in a boat jumble several years ago so we got our money’s worth out of it. Unfortunately we had been unable to find a second-hand cruising chute before setting off so we will have to buy a new one now. We arrived in Figuera around 11 p.m.

The marina at Figuera do Foz was the most expensive so far since leaving England, except it gets cheaper pro rata the longer you stay – not much use for the likes of us just passing through. It wouldn’t seem so bad if there was a choice, but so often now there is no possibility to anchor and it is pay for a marina berth or not stop.

We spent a whole day in Figuera to get a bit more paint on in various places and for Andrew to finish his latest article to post on the website. The next morning we went to the internet café but were unable to access ftp to post the article. We got the weather which was not too brilliant but would be improving. In the evening we chose a restaurant where it appeared a local couple had just entered, and had our worst meal out ever, partly reconstituted dried fish and shoe leather pork with grossly overcooked small jacket potatoes. At least the wine was cheap. Not too impressed with Figuera, we headed out into a force 6 wind on the quarter and a very rough sea the next day. We rolled along at 5-6 knots just with the genny and decided to put into Nazarre for the night, arriving just after dark. The wind had moderated and we hoped the seas would be calmer by morning. A siren kept winding up and down constantly well into night!

Sunday was indeed a very good sailing day, goose-winging all the way towards Cascais at 4-5 knots. Just before turning towards Cascais and Lisbon, at Cabo da Roca, there are two headlands to get round. It was now dark but we had a full moon. Just past the first point the speed shot up from 4 to 6 knots and we took in one reef in both sails, now on a beam reach, but within another 5 minutes we were up to 7.5 knots and another reef went in. We anticipating a hard time when around the second point and heading up into the wind. But I expect you can imagine what happened next – as we went round the wind died completely and we had to motor the few miles into Cascais!

The marina in Cascais was reported to be at Mediterannean prices so most yachts were anchored in the bay. (They say the price drops by about two-thirds come October). There we saw several of the other yachts we had previous seen on our travels; some Dutch, a few ARC yachts, a few of the English going to the med and a younger couple, David and Hazel, in the renovated Irish trawler Ros Ailither which we sailed alongside from Viana Do Castelo towards Leixoes. They are also going to the Canaries and across the Atlantic, so we expect to meet them again. We spent some pleasant time drinking and talking to Tom and Ann on Alba Voyager, a fibreglass Bruce Roberts 40 footer. They had spent some years renovating the inside with some rather ingenious storage ideas. A pleasant, roomy, practicable boat which even had Andrew comment how he would appreciate an extra couple of feet! They will be wintering in the Algarve before exploring the Med.

We ordered a new cruising chute from Hong Kong Sails to be delivered in the Canaries, found free wifi in the post office, explored the shops and visited Lisbon. The post office provided wifi facilites through ‘PT’ whose card with password cost 5 euros for 1 hour. But the estate agent next door had an unsecured wifi which we picked up very well through the wall. We started spending our mornings sitting at the wifi desk in the post office. They must have wondered how we got so much use out of a one-hour card!

In Lisbon we went round the Gulbenkein Museum and its gardens, the Saturday Flea Market, the castle and the top of the hill beside it, and down through the old town with its with its little old trams winding their way, quite frequently, around the steep and narrow lanes. There is a metro train every 20 minutes running along the coast between Cascais and Lisbon. It takes about half an hour and costs around £1.50 return. With good weather forecast for the following week and our preparations done, we thought we would head out for Madeira on Monday 26th September, but there have been some strong winds with extreme gusts blowing through the evenings and well into the nights which were not forecast and were somewhat worrying, so departure was delayed.

After a week we were ready to leave and the weather was still being forecast as north-westerly winds of force four to five, so we ventured out a few miles. The wind became a good force five with a steep short swell making it very uncomfortable for a long trip, so we returned to the anchorage. The next day a force seven was forecast and we watched the ten Clipper yachts start their race. New York appeared to be first over the line together with a few other yachts (see pic). The first few made a good start and were soon well away, but then the wind dropped completely on the line and the rest of the fleet found itself stuck. The last, Liverpool didn't cross the line until fifteen minutes after the gun, by which time the first group were practically out of sight. A dispiriting start after months of preparation.